


Flash Art: A Collection of Artworks by Anthony J Crowley

by Corrosive_Moon



Series: I Think, Therefore I Am [4]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Detroit: Become Human, Artist!Crowley, CyberLife, CyberLife (Detroit: Become Human), Deviancy (Detroit: Become Human), Disabled Character, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of Anathema Device, android!Aziraphale, audio tour script, detroit: become human au, dialogue only, just a script, mentions of Gabriel - Freeform, no knowledge of Detroit: Become Human needed to understand, not a podfic, though transformative works are totally welcomed!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29699163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corrosive_Moon/pseuds/Corrosive_Moon
Summary: Hello.  My name is Aziraphale and I will be your guide through the Tate Modern’s exhibitFlash Art: A Collection of Artworks by Anthony J Crowley.In truth, the museum initially approached Crowley for this audio guide, but he refused due to that nasty business a couple years ago.  Oh, I won’t bother to get into it.  I’m sure you’ve all heard of it by now.---Set two years after the events of "A Touch of Deviance."  Aziraphale narrates an audio guide of Anthony J Crowley's latest exhibit.(I feel like I should clarify this isnota podfic, it's just a script of Aziraphale's audio commentary.)
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: I Think, Therefore I Am [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1521767
Comments: 10
Kudos: 40





	Flash Art: A Collection of Artworks by Anthony J Crowley

Hello. My name is Aziraphale and I will be your guide through the Tate Modern’s exhibit _Flash Art: A Collection of Artworks by Anthony J Crowley._ In truth, the museum initially approached Crowley for this audio guide, but he refused due to that nasty business a couple years ago. Oh, I won’t bother to get into it. I’m sure you’ve all heard of it by now.

I offered to provide the commentary in Crowley’s place. He objected at first, but I was able to convince him otherwise. Honestly, I’m quite happy to do this, dear listener. Crowley creates such beautiful work, and I would’ve been so saddened that no one would be able to understand it like he does.

In preparation for this audio guide, information was gathered directly from Crowley, both from formal interviews and tidbits he’s told me throughout the years we’ve known each other. Please note that all opinions or interpretations of the artwork expressed in this audio guide are that of myself, and myself alone.

Please move clockwise through the room. Any artwork with a star by the title card will have a commentary accompanying it. Select “HEAR AUDIO” on the touch screen and the commentary will begin to play through your museum-issued earpiece. Upon exiting the exhibit, please drop off your museum-issued earpiece at the front desk.

Thank you for visiting _Flash Art: A Collection of Artworks by Anthony J Crowley._

**Painting 1: Gabriel. 2040.**

This is a drawing of Gabriel Ham, _former_ curator of this very museum, done in ink and acrylics. Crowley refused to exhibit anything—for this exhibit or any future exhibits at the Tate Modern—unless this particular artwork was included. 

Actually, he first demanded that the museum erect a statue in Gabriel Ham’s likeness, which Crowley offered to pay for, and have that statue stationed at the entrance of the museum. At the bottom of the statue was to be a gold plaque—which Crowley also offered to pay for—that would read, “Gabriel Ham is the World’s Biggest Wanker.”[1]

*Muffled laughter*

Oh. Oh, dear. I really mustn’t laugh. It’s so impolite… better remember to cut all that laughing out. Let me just make a small note to myself and… Ahem. 

All right. Let’s continue…

The museum compromised. So here this artwork hangs as the first piece you see at the entrance to the exhibit. It’s a rather unflattering, but unmistakable likeness of Gabriel Ham, done on a scrap piece of paper that happened to be within reach. This is not the original artwork that was unveiled in the Crowley’s last exhibit at the Tate Modern in 2038, but it was easy enough to replicate. The original was only shown for precisely twenty-one minutes and thirty-three seconds before the exhibit was shut down. This painting, as well as all the other artworks in that exhibit, was never returned to Crowley afterwards. More likely they were destroyed by Gabriel. Pictures of the original artworks taken by the lucky few people who attended the exhibit still circulate actively on the internet today.

Crowley created the original caricature it on a whim as a last minute addition because Gabriel insulted me. 

*soft sigh*

You know, he’d never admit it, but Crowley really is a good person, deep down. Oh, I hope Crowley doesn’t listen to this. He said he wouldn’t, because he can be so stubborn about things, but he’s also such a vain creature…

…

Crowley, if you’re listening to this, I meant every word I said. You can still be cool and hip and nice, my dear. Those aren’t mutually exclusive traits, so please stop treating them as such. [2]

There.

Gabriel Ham is currently spending a life sentence for hiring someone to murder Crowley and stage the act as a suicide. A despicable human being indeed. 

Though even before that incident, Crowley never liked Gabriel. Frankly speaking, the man was a self-absorbed, pompous git. I’m sure I’m not the only one who believes this. Gabriel had a way of smiling that was patent and cold. Perhaps that’s why Crowley chose to depict Gabriel as an android, even going so far as to have the only color on this mostly monochrome piece to be the light from the android markers. 

**Painting 2: One Night of Many. 2030.**

This piece is one of my personal favorites. This was the artwork that brought Crowley international attention, for the simple reason that it is wildly relatable. The painting is done from the perspective of someone sitting at a desk, looking downward on the surface, slightly askew as if the person is about to leave. Perhaps to take a break. Or maybe the person is returning to work. That interpretation is up to you.

The desk is one of those inexpensive things one can buy from the local department store. You can see the laminate peeling off the side. There are marks from pens, pencils, and paints dotting the surface. This desk is worn, and well-used. It is littered with art supplies. There are discarded sketches and paintings shoved to the side. Schoolwork is decidedly pushed to the very edge of the surface. You can see the spine of what is possibly a history textbook over there in the upper right. A lamp provides the only illumination. There is an open window off to the side where you can just see a clear and moonless night.

You may not be an artist, but you know this scene. It’s so very human. 

I can never truly understand this. As an android, even one that is labeled as “deviant,” I’ve never really known failure or mediocrity, just plain incapability. I can either perform a function or I cannot. I do not struggle, I just am. I’ve never honed a craft, I’ve merely downloaded what I need to know. 

Crowley’s choice to become an artist was never supported by his parents. He was expected to become a doctor, or perhaps a lawyer, such is the fate of those children who show an aptitude for high-function thinking. Eventually, he was all but ostracized from his family. Yet, he still chose to pursue art. He wasn’t particularly gifted at art in the beginning, not more so than your usual child, but he strived to improve. 

Crowley told me about how he would work little odd jobs as a teenager to pay for his art supplies. Along with attending art classes offered at his public school, he would go to the library and borrow art books to learn about painting techniques. He would spend countless late nights at his desk—this desk, the one you are looking at now—sketching or painting whatever caught his eye. He practiced and practiced until he became skilled enough to attend the University College London. 

You may not be artist, but you do know this scene. You know what it means to apply yourself wholeheartedly to something you believe in, to dedicate yourself to your craft, whatever that may be.

This, I believe, is the reason Crowley is successful. Because he can connect with people through his artwork.

**Painting 3: London Cityscape. 2032.**

This is a panting of the London cityscape in 2032. It was ten years after the titular success of the RT600 in 2022. It is around this time that androids were starting to become commonplace in the world, as a whole, and the city was in change. As you can see, the CyberLife Tower is still half-constructed. Crowley depicts the London skyline in the evening, as seen from North Greenwich. Electric banners are present advertising a few consumerist goods. 

High above London, Crowley has painted the night sky with touches of color that are stunning and beautiful. Realistically speaking, this painting is inaccurate. One would never be able to see the stars this clearly due to the light pollution emitted by the city, but I believe that is the point. 

Many argued that _London Cityscape_ is pro-technology. The London skyline is undoubtedly the brightest point in this painting: colorful and attractive and imposing. It is for this reason that copies of _London Cityscape_ hang in Engineering classrooms around the globe.

I would agree with those who would say that _London Cityscape_ is more of a commentary of change. In fact, the city lights appear almost insidious against the beauty of the stars, like an encroaching bruise on the grandiose night sky. _London Cityscape_ depicts the advances of technology versus the shrinking majesty of nature. 

Crowley, of course, would not tell you exactly what his political values really are. 

While Crowley is fond of having the latest gadgets, in regards to androids he holds a certain reserve. I don’t believe it is due to any anti-android sentiment than it is that Crowley never truly saw androids as objects.

I remember the first time I saw Crowley in the CyberLife store. I noticed him immediately. His red hair made him stand out from the other humans. He appeared anxious and uncomfortable. It was clear that it was his friend, Anathema Device, who convinced him to purchase an android rather than something he decided himself. He looked like he wanted to leave. And then, somehow, he selected me. 

*soft laughter*…A bargain bin combat android that couldn’t fight. 

But I digress… Let’s move on to the next painting.

**Painting 4: The Parade of Claudia Atieno. 2032.**

This particular painting is one of Crowley’s most well-known, and most notorious, artworks. This is largely due to the subject of his painting: the illustrious artist, Claudia Atieno. When Crowley painted this work, Atieno was a world-wide sensation. She was quite prolific at (what would now be considered) her final years. 

Like Crowley, Atieno was a political artist that reveled in creating sensationalist art. They both enjoyed challenging social paradigms through their artwork.

Crowley doesn’t speak of Atieno much, even when I interviewed him about this artwork, he was unusually reserved. They had only met a handful of times before Crowley exhibited this painting at the Riches Museum in Amsterdam and subsequently ruined any chance of forming a pleasant relationship with Atieno. I’m sure he liked her in the beginning, or at least respected her incredible skill and witty, yet careless, nature.

It’s a relatively well-known fact in the art community that Claudia Atieno was prone to plagiarizing the works of others. Her supporters would say that she is merely drawing inspiration from other artists rather than blatantly copying. There have been many debates as to when inspiration ends and plagiarism begins. That is a discussion for another forum. Though I think in this instance, it’s clear which side of the argument Crowley endorses.

Now, Crowley was—and still is—good friends with Vanessa Nyugen. In the summer of 2032, Nyugen called Crowley. She told him about a very exciting discussion she had with Claudia Atieno and how Atieno applauded a concept Nyugen was working on titled _Women Alone_ , which was about three women, perhaps sisters, grouped around a pool of water _._ While the women appear pleasant, their reflections were wildly altered, perhaps indicating the duality of one’s self; the outward-facing persona versus the real personality underneath. 

Crowley was excited for Nyugen. He always felt that she deserved more attention for her work that she received. (He still does.)

Later that year, Crowley and Atieno were both showing their works at the grand opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, United States. It was then that Crowley saw Atieno’s piece, _The Three Sisters_ , and immediately recognized its striking similarity to Nyugen’s concept. 

Crowley flew back to London that same night and began working on _The Parade of Claudia Atieno_ the moment he set foot in his house. There was no way he could prove that Atieno stole Nyugen’s idea, but he believed it was true and Crowley wanted to do something about it.

Nyugen did decide to show _Women Alone_ at a private exhibit in London, and was ridiculed terribly as a thief and plagiarist. Her career never recovered. 

…I don’t think Crowley ever forgave Atieno for what happened.

Well…

Let’s return to the painting.

 _The Parade of Claudia Atieno_ is an obvious parody of Claudia Atieno’s _The Parade in Paris_ , which involves a crowd of families marching through the streets of Paris. Though, instead of a cluster of different people, Crowley has depicted a cluster of Claudia Atienos. Each of them are looking directly at the viewer with a bland and yet somewhat accusatory fashion. 

Crowley told me a few days after he exhibited this painting, Atieno visited him and when he opened the door to greet her she threw a drink at his face. They had a verbal altercation so alarming that the neighbors nearly called the police. 

They never spoke again. Five years later, Atieno disappeared and hasn’t been seen since. There are multiple theories about what happened. Many assumed Atieno is dead. I don’t know if Crowley thinks his painting contributed to her disappearance. As I’ve said before, he is hesitant to speak of her.

**Painting 5: Aziraphale. 2034.**

Though it’s labeled Painting 5, it was first artwork Crowley selected for this exhibit. 

Ahem. 

Yes. 

The painting. 

It is a portrait of an android, specifically a male android from the now outdated A2 series. The A2 series were originally intended for covert operations in battle. But with the increasing advances in technology, they were quickly replaced by the B1 series. Androids from the A2 series that were still able to function were repurposed as household androids and their combat algorithms deactivated.

The background of the painting is in a dark blue, almost black. The android stands as a stark contrast with his light hair and white uniform. There is a tartan bowtie around my—ahem, that is, around the android’s neck.

…I swear he did this just to fluster me. As if I could get flustered that easily! 

…

Crowley chose to depict this android from his left side. From the angle, you’re unable to see the biofeedback component at his right temple, and the triangle marker at the android’s left breast is almost indistinguishable. 

…Because of this, the android almost appears human. 

Crowley selected this painting because it has a profound significance to him on many levels. It was the first painting he finished after his accident back in 2034. He struggled a lot during that time, both physically and psychologically, which is completely normal given what he went through! His life was abruptly changed forever, and there was no way it would ever return to the way it was before. So, he purchased this android to…

…

So he purchased me to assist him.

I don’t think I made a significant impact on Crowley’s recovery. I believe he always had the ability to help himself. I think what he wanted most was someone that wouldn’t look at his disability first. 

The day Crowley painted this was unlike any other. We’d known each other for only twenty-five days. On a whim, he asked me to sit for a portrait and so I sat for a portrait. It didn’t take very long, about an hour. When he finished he sat back and grinned wider than I had ever seen him grin. He looked like a man who saw the sun again after millennia of darkness. 

And I… And I think—In retrospect, I believe…

…

…….

…

I think that was the moment I began to fall in love with him.

**Author's Note:**

> [1] For anyone out there who’s an old Roosterteeth fan like I was back in the day, this bit was inspired by Burnie Burn’s story about how he wanted the city of Burnie, Tasmania to erect a statue in his honor. It didn’t work out for him either.
> 
> [2] Crowley does end up listening to this audio guide. At this point, he’ll bury his face in his hands in utter mortification. Later, he’ll go and find Aziraphale and kiss him. Aziraphale will smugly kiss him back.
> 
> I pandered around this idea for a while because I thought it was a little bare. I mean, an audio guide script about art but there's no art??? But the idea just kept growing and while there's no artwork depicted in this fic, it's not entirely the point. I really started to like the backstories of it, especially because Aziraphale is offering his thoughts and shedding light on the process behind Crowley's art. And you got to see more of Crowley's art. 
> 
> I knew I was going to include the (replica of) Gabriel's insulting caricature and Crowley's painting of Aziraphale. The other three sort of came to me. _One Night of Many_ was meant to show a bit of Crowley's childhood and what he had to do to be the artist he is today. _London Cityscape_ was meant to hint at Crowley's political views. _The Parade of Claudia Atieno_ was meant to show Crowley's ability to retaliate with his art. Crowley's portrait of Aziraphale was meant to reinforce that Crowley has always seen Aziraphale as more than an android, and reveal some of Aziraphale's feelings (AKA the beginning of the cornerstone of his deviancy, AKA his love for Crowley.)
> 
> Claudia Atieno is a character in the fictional podcast, _Within the Wires._ The only thing I’m pulling from that podcast is the character, her career and exploits. ( _WitW_ has a world of its own.) In this fic, Atieno is true to her main story, including her habit of plagiarizing, her ruining Nyugen’s career, and her disappearance.  
> This is it, guys. This is the last installment. 
> 
> This episode was HEAVILY influenced by the podcast _Within the Wires_ because it was also part of the reason I decided to make Crowley a political artist. The format of this episode (an pre-recorded art commentary) is the same format of _WitW_ season 2, which is my favorite season. It’s a really good podcast! So please give it a listen!  
> I wouldn’t have been able to complete this episode without looking up the transcript for _Within the Wires_ , Season 2, episode 7 on [withinthescripts.tumblr.com](%E2%80%9C)  
> Thank you all so much so for loving this weird little AU I’ve made. I’m so happy you all enjoy it. To everyone who commented and kudo’d, your feedback meant a lot to me! Thank you especially to Patolozka for creating beautiful artwork for _A Touch of Deviance._ I’m sorry I don’t know how to embed it into the story. TT_TT. But you all can see it [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25587691)
> 
> As always: read on, guys. Read on.
> 
> |Corrosive Moon|


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